Senior Prom
by Goddess Isa
Summary: This story takes place (duh) at the Slayerettes' senior prom and is based on the spoilers we've learned thus far for The Prom (episode number 22 I believe).  Also touches on an idea that Lex (I believe) gave me in one of her posts the other day.  I'm ti


TITLE: Senior Prom  
AUTHOR: Goddess Isa   
EMAIL: goddessisa@aol.com  
SUMMARY: This story takes place (duh) at the Slayerettes' senior prom and is based on the spoilers we've learned thus far for The Prom (episode number 22 I believe). Also touches on an idea that Lex (I believe) gave me in one of her posts the other day. I'm tired and can't think. And since I don't have a beta reader, forgive me if there are typos. What you'll need to know that's only in the story is that Xander has made Cordelia a stupid offer. If she dances just once with him at their prom, he'll never speak to her again if that's what she wants.  
SPOILER: a tad of everything AND the spoilers for the end of season three. If you haven't heard them and want no ideas, DON'T READ THIS FIC! Archive it and read it laters =)  
DISTRIBUTION: Sure, just email me & lmk where it's going - I like seeing my name in print =)  
FEEDBACK: Please, I'd hate to have to Slay for it. =P  
RATING: TV-14  
DISCLAIMER: I don't own these characters, Joss Whedon does. If he ever decides to give them to me, that would be nice. =) 'Together Forever' is by Rick Astley, 'Everybody' is by the Backstreet Boys, 'Heart & Shoulder' is by the ever brilliant Heather Nova, 'Angel of Mine' is by Monica   
  
  
  
It's prom night in Sunnydale, and although all the Slayerettes went together in the limo as they originally planned, they're not exactly a happy group. Cordelia came with them only to ride in the limo, as she keeps reminding the others. Her lavender dress looks beautiful, and Xander had to make himself sleep in the limo to avoid gawking at her. She considers Wesley her date, and plans on dancing with him all night long. Buffy, lonely without Angel, feels like a third wheel to Willow and Oz, even though Oz occasionally will have to go on stage and play. They enter the Bronze and spot Giles in a corner, looking uncomfortable.   
  
  
//Together forever, and never to part  
  
Together forever, it's true\\  
  
  
"Why is this crap playing?" Cordelia demanded. "It's pop! British pop!"   
  
"Actually, it's Australian pop," Oz said.   
  
"And aren't you on the planning committee for the prom?" Buffy asked her sweetly.   
  
"I *thought* I was!" she surveys the room and spots Harmony dancing with a foreign exchange student. "Harmony!" she takes off towards her, careful not to trip on her dress.   
  
"And she's off!" Xander said without his usual zesty humor.   
  
Willow put her around his shoulders. "You gonna be okay?"   
  
"If she gives me just one dance, no." he sighed. "If she stays over there giggling and yelling with the Blonde Brigade all night, no."   
  
Buffy swung her purse around in the air, pouting. "I'll dance with you Xander. The two class wallflowers together forever."   
  
"And never to part, apparently." Oz commented.   
  
"You're not a wallflower Buffy." Xander said sincerely. He watched Cordelia yelling at Harmony and then the DJ and sighed. He missed their fights.   
  
  
*****   
  
  
"This has been fun," Xander said sarcastically. He, Buffy and Giles were sitting around a table snacking on the mini brownies and other things of the like.   
  
Buffy made a face. "This isn't how I imagined my prom. It's half over and I haven't danced once."   
  
Someone behind her cleared his throat. She knew the sound.   
  
Angel.   
  
She spun out of her chair and pulled him over to a wall. "What are you doing here?"   
  
"I made a mistake."   
  
"Dance with me." she pulled him to the floor and she laughed at the way he stared at her dancing. She was dancing wildly - she finally felt like she could have a good time at her own prom, and she finally had a date.   
  
  
//Just throw your hands up in the air  
  
Wave 'em around like you just don't care  
  
If you wanna party, lemme hear you yell\\  
  
  
"Who is this?" Angel asked, making a face.   
  
"The Backstreet Boys."   
  
Angel made another face.   
  
"You have a problem with pop music?" Buffy asked.   
  
He just rolled his eyes where she couldn't see them. This stuff was a sorry excuse for music.   
  
  
*****   
  
  
Xander returned to the snack table and was chowing down on the pound cake. When all else fails, eat. Guy rule.   
  
He watched the crowd and frowned when he saw Cordelia approach Wesley. She leaned into his chest, showing off her cleavage. She must've made him mad though, because he huffed away from her, leaving her looking heartbroken.   
  
He felt bad for her.   
  
  
*****   
  
  
"So," Willow said to Cordelia when they were both in the bathroom together. Willow was fixing her hair and Cordy was repairing her makeup. "Have you taken Xander up on his offer to dance with you?"   
  
"Why are you so interested in whether or not I dance with him?" Cordy demanded. "You've asked me this before. You want your date and Xander too or something?"  
  
Willow was reaching her breaking point. "You know what Cordelia? I love Xander, but he loves you. I accept that. You are the love of his life and he would never intentionally hurt you. You don't spend five hundred dollars on a dress for someone you kind of like."   
  
Cordy dropped her mascara wand in the sink and didn't even notice. "Xander bought my dress?"   
  
Willow nodded. "He got it out of layaway but didn't want you do know."   
  
"But I thought Wesley--"   
  
"Wesley doesn't even know you're alive."   
  
"Xander bought the dress." Cordy said it as though it had just actually hit her brain. The expression on her face became unreadable.   
  
"Cordelia?"   
  
"That's the--he--I need to--" she set her purse on the counter with a *clunk*. "I've got to find him."   
  
Willow watched as Cordelia turned and stormed out of the bathroom, mumbling things Willow couldn't make out. She sighed, collected Cordelia's purse for her and returned to their table.  
  
  
//Wanna cry for you  
  
Would it do any good?  
  
If I rained for you  
  
It would just be water  
  
And the night's with you  
  
And the storm's in your hand  
  
And you're down  
  
And you're down  
  
And I can't lift you\\   
  
  
Giles had now joined Xander at the snack bar and they were hanging over the punch bowl. The more Xander drank, the more rambling he did about how pissed off he was. Giles tasted the punch and decided it had been spiked.   
  
"I didn't do it," Xander insisted.   
  
"I didn't say you did, but you are standing here. I believe there's a logical explanation for this."   
  
"Nothing is logical on the Hellmouth." Xander said before chugging some more down. "You know the problem with these dances? You--"   
"Xander?"   
  
  
//I'm powerless to change your world  
  
I'm powerless to stop the hurt\\  
  
  
He couldn't speak when he looked over and realized she was standing just inches away from him. He smiled at her and she took his hand, pulling him to the near center of the dance floor.   
  
"Dance with me," she ordered. They tried to move to the music, but the song was neither fast nor slow and that made it difficult.   
  
"I know you bought the dress." she said simply.   
  
Damn Willow, he thought.   
  
"How could you?" she reached out and slapped him. A few people, Buffy and Angel and Willow and Oz included, stopped dancing and looked at them.   
  
  
//I'll give you my heart, give you my shoulder  
  
I'll give you my heart, give you my shoulder  
  
Over and over\\   
  
  
"Why didn't you tell me? When people are in love, they're supposed to let people know."   
  
"I knew, actually," Oz said. No one paid any attention to him.   
  
"We all knew," Buffy added. She too, was ignored.   
  
Everyone went back to their dancing, and Xander could only stare at his love while she stood there, hands on hips, trying to decide what to do.   
  
  
//Wanna run for you  
  
Would it do any good?  
  
If I flew for you   
  
You would still be standing  
  
And it's hard watching  
  
'Cause I'm part of you  
  
And it's hard not to  
  
Not to know what I can do\\  
  
  
The song went on with the two of them standing idly in the middle of a sea of dancing teenagers.   
  
"Dance with me," she said, quieter, softer this time. "Please."   
  
He sighed, but of course agreed.   
  
She slipped her arms around Xander's neck, not caring that they weren't really dancing to a ballad. She couldn't quite meet his gaze though, and he was fine with that. He was happy to have her in his arms again, even if this was the last time.   
  
  
//I'm trying hard to be your   
  
Tower of strength  
  
I'm trying hard to bring you   
  
Back to joy\\  
  
  
Don't open your eyes, Cordelia instructed herself. They had welled up with tears and the last thing she wanted was to let someone, especially Xander, see them. Nothing hurt her more than knowing how he felt and how she'd treated him considering she felt the same way about him. She wasn't about to let him know that though.   
  
  
//When the night just cuts you through  
  
And the dream is lost to you  
  
When you're worried and confused  
  
I will give you my heart, give you my shoulder\\   
  
  
She let herself get just a bit closer to him as the song changed. The tears had finally dried, so she opened her eyes and focused on his left shoulder. Yeah, that would work.   
  
  
//When I first saw you  
  
I already knew  
  
You had something inside of you  
  
Something I thought that I would never find  
  
Angel of mine\\  
  
  
Cordy refused to meet Xander's adoring gaze. Her eyes had long ago become bored with his shoulder and had moved on to his tie, his cummerbund, and whether or not he was going "bare back" as he liked to call it. She thought the idea of not wearing underwear was absolutely disgusting, but she had to admit, she liked it when he did it.   
  
  
//I look at you looking at me   
  
Now I know why they say   
  
The best things are free   
  
Gonna love you boy you are so fine   
  
Angel of Mine\\  
  
  
The realization that Xander had paid for her dress was finally sinking it. He was the one who really cared for her. Wesley was only a crush, and lustful one at that. No real love or feelings were involved. Cordy would never admit it, but she thought maybe the reason she went after him was to try and make Buffy jealous. It didn't. Staring across the room, she noticed Buffy and Angel and Willow and Oz. They looked so happy, so in love. That made her realize that love truly was the only important thing.   
  
Relaxing a bit, she looked into Xander's eyes and smiled.   
  
  
//How you changed my world   
  
You'll never know   
  
I'm different now  
  
You helped me grow\\  
  
Willow glanced over at Xander and Cordelia. "Look at them."   
  
Oz looked. "No bickering, no blood. All good signs."   
  
"Do you think they'll get back together?"   
  
"I think whatever happens, happens."   
  
  
//You came into my life  
  
Sent from above\\  
  
  
Willow sighed, knowing he was right. She couldn't change Xander and Cordelia's relationship anymore than she could change her own. Still, seeing the look on her best friend's face, she felt so bad for him. Xander didn't deserve all the hurt Cordelia had caused him.   
  
  
//When I lost all hope  
  
Boy, you showed me love\\  
  
  
Willow had never understood exactly what Cordelia saw in Wesley. He was leaning against a wall, sipping tea. He wasn't at all like Giles, he was bumbling and boring and not at all sexy.   
  
Maybe, she thought, Cordy was only lusting after him because she was jealous that she didn't even have one Watcher and here technically, Buffy had two.  
  
  
//I'm checkin for you   
  
Boy you're right on time   
  
Angel of Mine\\  
  
  
Buffy and Angel moved in time with the music. She had tears in her eyes and fought off trying to let him see them.   
  
  
//Nothing means more to me than what we share\\  
  
  
He noticed and lifted her chin up gently. "What's wrong baby?"   
  
She shook her head and sniffled. "I just can't believe you came. That's all."   
  
  
//No one in this whole world can ever compare\\  
  
  
"I should've been here the whole time. I'm sorry."   
  
"You're forgiven."   
  
"Am I?"   
  
  
//Last night the way you moved is   
  
Atill on my mind   
  
Angel of Mine\\  
  
  
"Of course." Ignoring the Look Snyder was giving her from across the room, she leaned her forehead on his shoulder. "I can't stay mad at you."   
  
  
//What you mean to me you'll never know   
  
Deep inside I need to show\\  
  
  
"I don't deserve you."   
  
"Don't even go there." she lifted her head and met his lips in a tender kiss.   
  
  
//I never knew I could feel each moment   
  
As if it were new   
  
Every breath that I take   
  
The love that we make   
  
I only share it with you\\  
  
  
She pulled slightly away from him and smiled. "I love you."  
  
"I love you too."   
  
  
//When I first saw you I already knew   
  
There was something inside of you   
  
Something I thought that I would never find  
  
Angel of Mine\\


End file.
